Instructors/Lessons

The Seattle Swing Dance Club would like to take a moment here and thank the instructors who have helped our members with their dancing. The following are the biographies of the instructors who have taught classes at SSDC pre-dance workshops last year and who we anticipate will be teaching this year. The instructors were invited to submit a bio and contact information. The biographies hat have been received are posted in alphabetical order.

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Michelle Badion has been teaching partner dancing, full time in the Seattle area since 1989. She loves to dance, perform and most of all to teach. She has a way of making dancing accessable and fun for everyone. Michelle specializes in Argentine Tango, Salsa and West Coast Swing, but also loves to teach Waltz, Country, East Coast Swing, Cha Cha and Bachata. Her web site is www.michellebadion.com/index.htm.

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Charles England has been teaching dance since 1985, and has been an instructor and judge for the Seattle Swing Dance Club for more than 15 years. Charles also teaches ballroom, swing and salsa classes through the Edmonds Park Department and at the Bellevue Club. He can be reached directly at (206) 353-5187.

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Nancy Heaverlo Nancy Heaverlo is a GSDTA certified instructor and NDDCB judge and chief judge. She is a well known competitor teacher and judge on the national WCS circuit and is one of the top female competitors from the Pacific Northwest. She specializes in WCS, NC2-Step and Hustle as well as American Style Ballroom. Nancy is well known for her elegance, power and grace on the dance floor and her teaching excellence.

Please visit www.dancepassion.com to view her newly released instructional DVD series for WCS, NC2-Step and Pilates for dancers.

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Gary Jobst & Csilla Madocsai

 

Gary’s passion for dancing began in the Country Western arena in 1989. He competed in the couples division as well as on the 3-time World UCWDC Champion Midnight Cowboys Dance Team. Finally caught by the Swing dance fever, Gary pushed onward. Currently he holds 2 US Open titles (Showcase 1997, Strictly Swing 2000) and has placed and won numerous Champions level competitions over the past 8 years. In addition to teaching, competing, judging, emcee-ing and DJ’ing, he continues to pursue other avenues offered by the dance world. He has been the Chief Judge at many events the past 5 years in California, Arizona, Nevada as well as the Northwest.

Csilla started artistic gymnastic when she was 3 years old in Budapest, Hungary. In her teenage years she got involved in athletics, but it was always the dancing that put a smile on her face. She came to the US in 1989, and started out as a Country Western dancer in 1994. In 1999 she couldn’t resist the urge any more and ‘swung’ over (to West Coast Swing). In 2001, she moved to Orange County to train and improve her dancing. Since 2003 she’s been competing as an All-Star dancer, and recently she’s earned her way to the Champions circuit.

Csilla & Gary formed a partnership in 2004. At their first competition, they took 4th place in Classic Division, and at the 2004 US Open they placed 5th in Showcase. In 2005, they ranked 4th in the nation!

They have taken a break from competition to focus on their son Brandon who is almost on year old but are looking forward to returning to the competition floor in the not too distant future.

Gary has been focusing his work energy on his primary employment with MetLife and has received a promotion to Regional Sales Vice President which required a relocation to Little Rock, AR.

Gary & Csilla are very excited about the change and are looking forward to purchasing a home for Brandon to grow up in! Brandon is doing very well, he never stops smiling, loves Elmo and his Mama!

You can learn more about Gary and Csilla, including their contact information, at their web site www.garyjobst.com/. Gary and Csilla will be coming to Seattle to do a weekend of workshops for the Seattle Swing Dance Club the weekend of September 5 – 7, 2008. They will also be available for private lessons over that weekend.

Csilla forgot to mention that she is a past board member of the Seattle Swing Dance Club.

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Jim Minty was been teaching dance for 20 years, the last 12 in the Seattle area. He is a Champion level competitor, Judge, Chief Judge, Event Director and Instructor/Coach. Although he has a background in American Social Ballroom as well as Country and Western, his focus has been West Coast Swing, Night Club 2 and Hustle for the past 15 years. Jim is certified with GSDTA (Golden State Dance Teachers Association), and NDDCB (National Dance Dynamics Certification Board). He has been an active competitor and is one of the very few Champion level competitors in the Pacific Northwest. He has a long history of competitive accomplishments and currently still competes in Showcase with his partner Katie McCaslin. Jim along with his partner Katie, Lynn Gross and Nancy Heaverlo are also the main instructors for the Seattle Swing Dance clubs Foundation WCS Series of classes on Monday nights in Juanita.

Jim also supports the Northwest dance community by volunteering his time as the Seattle Easter Swing Event Director. SES is one of the top Swing Competition/Instructional weekends in the country (www.seattlewcswing.com)

Jim and Katie teach every Thursday at China Harbor in Seattle, every couple months they teach the Monday night classes at Juanita for SSDC and Jim teaches private lessons for individuals or groups out of his studio in Edmonds.

Contact Jim at jim@nwdanceconnection.com or 425-822-25825. You can find out more about Jim on his web site www.nwdanceconnection.com.

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Jay Offutt’s energetic teaching style in Swing, Hustle, Salsa and Latin makes it fun and easy to learn to dance. His studio, the Dance Experience is located in Shoreline. For more info call 206-356-8812 or visit www.jays-dance-experience.com or email jayoffutt@w-link.net

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Lynn Offutt has been teaching dance for over 20 years, and is the sole proprietor of the Dance Workshop, located in Shoreline, Wa.  Although she has been teaching West Coast Swing most of her adult life, she also carries both National and International certification in 17 other dances. Lynn offers classes and private instruction at her studio, but is also available for “off campus” instruction.   In addition to running the studio, Lynn is also the sole organizer of the two longest running dinner/dance Ballroom events in the Pacific Northwest. The NW Dance Extravaganza (April) and the Crystal Ball (September) are two of Seattle’s premiere dance events. To see a schedule of her classes you can visit her web site at www.dance-workshop.com. The studio phone number is (206)542-5550 and her e-mail address is lynnoffutt@hotmail.com

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Mary Ann Nunez is one of the most sought-after instructors of West Coast Swing in the nation. Ms. Nunez is a two-time first place winner in the Showcase Division of the U.S. Open Swing Dance Championship; she has numerous first place wins in Jack & Jill competitions (including five first place wins at the GPSDC Convention). If you check her name in the World Swing Dance Council register you will notice that she has one of the highest number of accumulated points of anyone in the register. Her television appearances include Dance Fever, and In The Swing. She is an inductee into the California Swing Dance Hall of Fame and she is a three time winner of the Feather Award (for the most outstanding female dancer in the United States). She was also awarded the Walk Of Fame award at the 2007 US Open. For more information about Ms. Nunez you may visit her website at www.maryannnunez.com/.

Ms. Nunez will be visiting Seattle and teaching workshops the weekend of May 30 – June 1, 2008.

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Shannon Knauss had eight years of Ballet & Disco before finding her passion for partner dancing. Eight years of Swing, Ballroom & Latin training before starting her own company, Dance Experts, in 1992. Achieved “Highly Commended” full teaching and judges certification in 26 dances with The Terpsichorean Society and The National Dance Council of America. She is experienced in American and International Ballroom, Rhythm, Standard, Latin & Swing Dances. She has 20 years of full-time teaching in Seattle. Her Favorite dance: West Coast Swing. She can be reached at www.DanceExperts.com or via telephone at 206-533-8855.